I'm doing some garlicky prawns and pâté and crackers to start, not a sitting down starter, just to munch while I cook. Then turkey and roasties, cabbage and mash and brussel sprouts and pigs in blankets, stuffing and cranberry sauce. And parsnips. And gravy. And I'll probably do a wee roast beef for fil cos he doesn't like turkey.

Then whisky panna cotta with cherries, and another dessert, maybe trifle.

We have a big (5lb) free range roast chicken with a homemade chestnut and bacon stuffing, sausages and bacon, roast potatoes and veg and gravy, then warm homemade mince pies with homemade vanilla ice-cream.

It is so much cheaper to have chicken, and you get lots left over to eat as you wish. We never have starters either. I often fry some apple wedges in a bit of butter to eat with the chicken.

I think do what you know will be enjoyed and that you can do easily. Add festive touches with crackers, accompaniments, and maybe a tiny gift at the table for each person for after lunch if your DC need encouragement to eat or sit still. My cousin used to have a hollow knitted snowman on her table with the presents inside when her DD's were small, she claimed it was a good excuse to treat herself to a new eyeshadow or lippie!

I do this because I spend no more than an hour cooking it on Christmas Day (all prepped on the 23rd and the left overs are my favourite bits. No one is a huge turkey fan either. We don't have a starter but have been known to have prawn cocktails for tea (numbers allowing) and we can never manage a pudding straight away. I tend to always have icecream in the freezer and make sauces (my faves are chocolate, caramel and blueberry, separately) which we have later in the afternoon. Tea/supper is typically cheese and biscuits unless we have no visitors and then its prawn cocktail or we save that for Boxing Day (we are very generous with the prawns). I typically manage a blue cheese and gammon sandwich with the leftovers on Boxing Day.

Cook what you like and feel can manage as a happy cook makes a happy family.

I always do the full turkey fandango because it's what the family wants. One year I suggested goose or beef or something and there was a right old carry-on. I can't believe how conservative they all are.

It's my DP who makes the panna cotta, he says just a basic recipe with cream and gelatine, then he puts a vanila pod in with a capful of laphroig or ardbeg or something smoky. I've ordered amerena cherries in syrup to have with it. Actually can't wait

We usually have veggie Christmas dinner but this year I am the only veggie, because the dds have started eating meat again, so I'll probably do something meaty for them (don't know what yet but probably a chicken tbh) and then a big stuffed mushroom for me. We like lots of stuffing (bought) and a huge pan of roasted vege - potatoes, parsnips, carrots, shallots etc. We also have dauphinoisse potatoes. Then savoy cabbage, sprouts and another green vege (maybe tenderstem broccoli), plus port gravy.